Daily Market Update – 13 August 2026: UK GDP & US PPI

Today is UK GDP day — three related growth metrics land together at 6:00 AM GMT — before the US wraps up the session with Producer Price Inflation. All times below are in GMT.

Today’s Calendar at a Glance

🇬🇧 UK GDP (QoQ, YoY & MoM) – 06:00 AM GMT

The UK economy grew a strong 0.6% in Q1, well above trend, driven largely by the services sector. Growth is expected to cool to a more typical 0.3% pace in Q2 — still positive, but a step down from the earlier surge. The annual rate, by contrast, is forecast to accelerate to 1.2% from 0.9%, while monthly GDP for June is expected to hold at a modest 0.1% gain.

Quick guide: Quarterly (QoQ) growth is the benchmark for medium-term momentum and defines official recessions; annual (YoY) growth strips out seasonal noise to show the bigger trend; monthly (MoM) gives the most immediate but also most volatile read.

What to watch: A QoQ beat above 0.3% would support GBP and UK equities like the FTSE on renewed growth confidence; a miss would raise fresh concerns about slowing momentum and could pressure the Pound while boosting expectations of a Bank of England rate cut.

🇺🇸 US Producer Price Inflation (PPI) MoM – 12:30 PM GMT

PPI tracks wholesale prices businesses receive for goods and services, acting as an early warning sign for future consumer inflation since companies typically pass rising costs on to buyers over time. June’s reading showed prices falling -0.3%, and today’s forecast points to a modest 0.1% rise — a shift back toward positive territory.

What to watch: A cooler-than-expected print supports the case for Fed rate cuts, typically weakening USD while lifting stocks; a hotter print suggests inflation pressure building up the pipeline, which tends to support USD but weigh on equities.

Key Takeaway for Traders

GBP pairs are the early focus as all three UK GDP metrics land together — watch how the market weighs the QoQ slowdown against the YoY acceleration, since they’re sending slightly different signals today. USD picks up later with PPI, which often sets the tone ahead of bigger inflation data.

Risk note: Multiple related releases landing together, like today’s UK GDP data, can create sharp but sometimes conflicting price moves. Always use proper risk management. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice — forex and CFD trading involves significant risk of loss.